Regnar's Prices vs. Reality, There's not much in common.

[emaidel]

Several years back, after I had the woofers in my DQ-10's refoamed for a cost of only $80 (plus shipping), I realized that there was more damage to them than that which a simple refoam could fix, and so I sent them off to Regnar in NY for a complete rebuild, at a cost then of $139.50 each (plus shipping). While they've worked just fine ever since I've had them back, I now must seriously question Regnar's prices, and their claim that the woofers are NOT the same as those used in the Large Advent Loudspeaker. Regnar's price now for a rebuild is an eye-popping $175 each, plus shipping.

More than one poster here (and elsewhere) insists that there is absolutely no difference whatsoever between the DQ-10 and ADvent woofers, and some have gone to the extent to tear both apart on their workbenches to prove their point. Additionally, there are quite a few satisfied DQ-10 owners who replaced their ruined woofers with the so-called "Advent woofers" with entirely satisfactory results. Moreover, as most DQ-10 owners supplement the speakers with a subwoofer, the issue becomes even less important.

Currently, there are brand new replacement woofers advertised on at least two different websites for $80 and $89 each, that are claimed to be both Advent and Dahlquist replacements. In the event that the woofers in my DQ-10's become damaged somehow, I simply can no longer tolerate spending over $350 to rebuild them, when I can purchase two brand new units for less than half that price.

It's not just the woofer prices that cause such consternation either. The midbass driver is no longer manufactured, and so Regnar charges $90 each to rebuild them. I recently replaced those in my DQ-10s with a far superior driver from Dayton Audio, with a much heavier magnet and a cast aluminum basket. And all it cost me, including shipping, was just under $60.

And it doesn't stop there.... One of the piezo tweeters was dead, and I needed to replace it. This tweeter is one of the cheapest and crummiest drivers ever manufactured, but as only frquencies above 12,000HZ come out of it, as Jon Dahlquist said, "most people would never notice the difference" between this cheapo unit, and a costlier tweeter. Regnar sells "factory-original" replacements for a staggering $26 each. Parts Express sells a Chinese-manufactured piezo, which from my own listening is sonically identical to the "original" not for $20, or $10, or even $5, but for $1.44 each! I've spent a good deal of time listening to my one DQ-10 with its factory original, and the other with the PE cheapie replacement, and I've not been able to detect the slightest difference in sound.

And it goes on further! Six foam blocks, used to keep the grille from rattling against the woofer enclosure, sell for an astonishing $10, when the same material can be purchased for less than $1.00 at any arts supply store. Fuses are $1.00 each too!

But the topper is Regnar's price for new "Roman Column" stands. The original stands, with the walnut veneer on the bottom, and three black, vinyl coated "legs" cost $100 each back in the 70's. One of Dahlquist's employees told me at the time, "Boy, do we ever make a huge profit on them."

Regnar makes new versions of these stands, only instead of pressed wood, painted black, or vinyl wrapped, it's entirely, according to their description, "real wood." That's nice. But the price is something else: a staggering $579 each!

I thought (and still do think) that $150,000 for a ClearAudio turntable, without a cartridge, is absolutely ridiculous. I'm afraid I have to include Regnar's prices in the same category. They're just not worth it.

[dingus]

but the learning process was priceless!

[clint e.]

Imo, most things tagged in the high-end category are just snobbish, marketing and propaganda.
Tanx for the info.

[thedelihaus]

A company needs to turn a profit but agreed if the woofers are the same betwixt a DQ-10 and Large Advent one is tossing money away at times for un-needed repair and under possibly questionable claims.